28 Facts About Leon Clarke

Leon Marvin Clarke was born on 10 February 1985 and is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Rushall Olympic on loan from League Two side Hartlepool United.

Leon Clarke returned to Wolves in January 2014 having led the League One goalscoring charts while at Coventry City but only scored three goals during an eighteen-month stay before being released.

Leon Clarke ended the campaign with eight goals from 31 appearances.

Leon Clarke was issued with the number 18 shirt, but only made five substitute appearances for the club before it was announced that he was to spend a month on loan at League One promotion-chasing side Oldham Athletic after Clarke requested a loan move to gain playing time.

Leon Clarke was rewarded with a contract extension for a further year after his manager praised him making "a fantastic amount of progress" during the year.

Leon Clarke signed for Queens Park Rangers on 21 May 2010 on a two-year contract, with manager Neil Warnock stating that he believed Leon Clarke had "underachieved" but was "worth a gamble".

Leon Clarke scored his only goal during his six Preston games on 15 February 2011 against Watford.

Manager John Sheridan had been in charge at Oldham when Leon Clarke spent a loan spell there.

Leon Clarke subsequently scored on his home debut, followed by a first professional hat-trick against Carlisle, to end his loan spell with nine goals from 16 appearances.

On 1 January 2012, Leon Clarke signed for Charlton Athletic as part of a swap deal in exchange for Paul Benson.

However, his time at Charlton was short-lived as Leon Clarke initially struggled; having made only one start.

Leon Clarke expressed doubts regarding his future at Charlton Athletic.

Leon Clarke ended this loan stay with 11 goals from 15 appearances.

On Christmas Eve 2012, it was announced that Leon Clarke had been given permission by Charlton to train with League One side Coventry City with a view to a permanent move.

Leon Clarke's form led to him being linked with a number of Football League clubs due to Coventry City's financial plight, including Scunthorpe United, Sheffield United and former club Swindon Town.

The January 2014 transfer window brought renewed interest in Leon Clarke, who had produced the best goal return of his career with 18 goals in half a season, with his former side Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly bidding for him.

Amid this speculation Leon Clarke entered a transfer request and did not feature in a further match after citing a foot injury which provoked an unhappy reaction from his manager Steven Pressley.

Back at Championship level, Leon Clarke scored twice during 16 league appearances before being loaned out in February 2015 to Wigan Athletic for the remainder of the season.

Leon Clarke scored one goal for the Latics but could not prevent them from being relegated to League One.

On 2 June 2015, Leon Clarke signed for League One club Bury on a three-year deal after his release from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On 27 July 2016, Leon Clarke signed a 3-year deal with Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee.

On 30 January 2019, Leon Clarke was loaned to Wigan Athletic for the second time in his career, until the end of the season.

On 25 September 2020, Leon Clarke signed for League One club Shrewsbury Town on a one-year deal.

On 31 August 2021, after training with the club throughout the summer, Leon Clarke joined recently relegated League Two club Bristol Rovers on a one-year deal.

Leon Clarke made his debut for the club that weekend, coming on as a half-time substitute and within 90 seconds he had scored with his first touch of the ball, the only goal in a victory over Crawley Town.

Leon Clarke finally made his return to first-team action in January 2022, coming off of the bench against former club Swindon Town.

On 14 February 2023, Leon Clarke signed for League Two side Hartlepool United on a deal until the end of the season.

On 17 March 2023, Leon Clarke signed for Rushall Olympic on loan till end of the season.